OF PENSIONERS AND SUPERANNUANTS OF NSW
Print Post Approved PP235387100064

March 2013

ISSN 10353615

Will Premier do u-turn on

older driver testing?

INSIDE:
* Drop in deeming rates
long overdue
* Public housing: Carbon
tax compo grab and will I
have to move?
* Hospital funding cuts
1

CPSA has resigned from the
NSW Older Driver Taskforce,
which is conducting a review
of older driver testing in
NSW.
CPSA is bound by
confidentiality, so cannot
reveal why. Make of that
what you will.
Readers of THE VOICE are
invited to write to Premier

March 2013

Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Farrell to remind him of his
commitment to abolish older
driver testing in this state.
THE
VOICE
offers
the
following
material
to assist readers in their
correspondence with the
Premier.
The way the medical test is
imposed is entirely illogical:
- From age 75, older drivers

undergo an annual medical
test to determine if they are
still fit to drive.
-This medical test is
considered to be effective
for 75 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 84 year olds, but not
once older drivers turn 85,
when road testing kicks in in
addition to annual medical
testing.
Continued page 7

Letters are personal views only and do not necessarily reflect CPSA policy. Ed.

Older driver discrimination
WHILE I now reside in
the ACT, the experience of
renewing my NSW driver
licence has raised questions
about the treatment of older
people by an official of the
Moruya office.
I took a test with an official
of this office and found it to
be an unpleasant experience.
Although I have a good
driving record, with no
serious accidents or offences
in 65 years of driving, I
was treated shoddily, with
disrespect and a lack of
courtesy.
In the past the Moruya
office has always treated me
– and others – with a high
standard of courtesy.
My recent experience,
however,
suggested
a
discriminatory
attitude
towards older people.
We of the ageing generation
(I am now 85) may need to be
checked to ensure that we do
not add to road hazards, but
it is surely appropriate that

our tests should be conducted
with respect and courtesy.
To do otherwise merely
makes
this
experience
unnecessarily traumatic.
It should be remembered
that for some of us, our
independence of movement
is at stake.
I might mention that since
my experience I have heard
that other older drivers
have encountered similar
experiences,
concluding,
perhaps wrongly, that the
testing officer is out to get
the elderly off the roads.
If so, it is a serious matter
of discrimination that should
be brought to the attention of
the appropriate authorities.
Perhaps some appropriate
counselling would be helpful.
James Dunn
Cook ACT
These concerns will be
forwarded on to the Minister
for Roads and Ports, Duncan
Gay, MP and the Older Driver
Taskforce. Ed.

Pensioners lose out on
medical bills
AS A pensioner that recently
had surgery, I ask why all
specialists don’t bulk bill
pensioners, and why the
Medicare rebate refund
cheque (if one doesn’t want
to supply their bank details)
takes over 3 weeks.
I paid $90 in this case. I
am told by Medicare that I
will eventually get a refund
of $35.90.
The specialist costs are to
be $130 when I don’t see the
surgeon, and I will still have
to pay transport costs. And
pre-surgery costs were $189
that I had to pay upfront.
Where are pensioners
expected to get the money
from? Especially when costs
are due before pension day.
This unfair practice needs
to change for all pensioners’
sakes.
We shouldn’t have to find
this kind of money up front
for required surgery, so either
all specialists should bulk

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Surry Hills NSW 2010

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March 2013

THE VOICE OF PENSIONERS AND SUPERANNUANTS OF NSW

Letters
bill pensioners, or Medicare
refunds
for
pensioners
should be paid right away,
even when we don’t choose
to supply our private banking
details.
Pensioners
requiring
surgery and medical attention
should not be left stranded,
out of pocket, or forced
to forgo urgent medical
attention.
It is disgraceful, the way
Australian pensioners are
treated, by those we vote into
Governments.
I suggest that those in
Government and those who
make these rules should try
and survive on a pension for
a year: after all they expect
us to.
A fair go? I don’t think so.
Edwina E du Cassé
Nambucca Heads NSW

look at this injustice and run
a campaign on behalf of those
of us that the Government
chooses to ignore?
Jim Christie
Yerrinbool NSW
The Age Pension rules are
that
all
superannuation
income is treated the same
and that for every dollar
of superannuation income
above the ‘income-free area’
the Age Pension is reduced
by 50 cents. Ed.

March 2013

www.cpsa.org.au

are you waiting for us to go
on the full Age Pension and
become a bigger burden on
the tax payer?
David Attenborough
Taren Point NSW
This letter was written to
Treasurer Wayne Swan
before the announcement
that the deeming rates will
be reduced from 3 per cent
to 2.5 per cent on 20 March
2013 for the first $45,400
for singles and $75,600 for
couples, and from 4.5 to 4 per
Deeming rates deemed too cent for any amount above
high: letter to the Treasurer these figures. See article on
I AM a part Age Pensioner page 7. Ed.
who worked and paid taxes
for 56 years.
Rate payers missing out on
On my retirement 12 years assistance
ago, my wife and I then I AM an 88 year old widower
became self-funded retirees. pensioner and a member of
In mid-2011 we were eligible the Randwick City Council
for a part pension.
Older Persons Advisory
Could you please tell me Committee as a community
Military Pension campaign when you are going to adjust representative.
needed
the deeming rate from 4.5 On behalf of the 17.5
BESIDES a part Age Pension, per cent? It is now almost per cent needy ratepayers
I receive superannuation impossible to get that at (Council’s 2010 survey) I
in the form of a military most banks, in fact savings would like to draw to your
pension.
accounts offer a lot less.
attention the ever escalating
Each time there is an The bulk of our money is Council rates.
increase in the military invested in term deposits According to an article
pension (minimal as they with Qantas Credit Union at in a local paper, Randwick
are) the Government rips their top rate of 4.5 per cent, residents face some of the
back around 50 per cent by but as soon as each maturity highest rates in the city.
reducing the Age Pension.
date is reached we will have My council rates for
There seems little doubt a reduced rate of interest.
1994/95
were
$892
this is done as a cost-saving The rest of our money is (including the $250 pensioner
measure, without regard in a working account at less concession). In 2012/13 my
for whether it is moral. than 3 per cent.
rates amounted to $2388,
The responsible Minister At present our rate of including the same $250.
of course has the bare-faced interest averages less than The only assistance the
cheek to claim this is done to 4 per cent, which does not Council is offering to the
create a sense of fairness for reach the deeming rate, and needy ratepayers is a deferred
those Age Pensioners who do this 4 per cent will reduce as payment drawing interest.
not have super.
we roll over our term deposits When I asked via Mr
The fact that I am in future.
Michael Daley, MP that the
discriminated against, as Over the past 12 months Council waive the additional
is every other past serving you have been on television environmental levy, even that
member of the Australian numerous times saying that was rejected.
Defence Force, for having the banks should be passing
George Gergely
chosen to serve my country, on any and all of the reduced
Maroubra NSW
obviously
escapes
not interest rate changes set by
only the Minister, but the RBA.
Hunter priorities moved to
also successive political So I ask again, do you Newcastle?
parties that come to power. intend to lower the deeming THE recent announcement
How about taking a hard rate in the near future, or by the Hunter Infrastructure

1800 451 488

Advisory
Board
to
recommend that $60 million
be ‘earmarked’ for a new
transport interchange in
Newcastle
demonstrates
a lack of commitment to
the important issues of the
Hunter Region.
It
also
demonstrates
unconscionable desperation
to finance speculation in
Newcastle.
The Hunter Infrastructure
Advisory
Board
has
frequently
described
Newcastle as the “second
largest city in NSW”.
They seem to have
difficulty defining just what
and where Newcastle is.
If Newcastle is the second
largest city in the state by
population, then that means
its population also includes
the populations of Lake
Macquarie, Maitland and
Port Stephens.
This second largest city in
NSW could be referred to as
‘Greater Newcastle’ for the
sake of a name.
The proposal to ‘revitalise
Newcastle CBD’ must be of
the lowest possible priority
to all the cities of the Hunter
including Newcastle.
If there is an identified
priority to earmark an
important project in ‘Greater
Newcastle’, then obviously
it would be endorsed by the
community and at least the
local governments of these
four cities (Liberals’ previous
state election promise).
The one very obvious
major project endorsed by
all the Hunter Councils is the
Glendale Interchange.
Maitland Mayor Peter
Blackmore dismissed this
project out of hand without
explanation, although his
Council must have supported
the reportedly unanimous
Glendale
Interchange
decision.
George Paris
Rathmines NSW

Hazel Toddington who was a Life Member and past
Treasurer of Budgewoi Branch has passed away. She will
be sadly missed by all Members.
Toongabbie Senior Citizens Association notes with sadness
the passing of Esma Sabien who was a valued Member
and will be sorely missed.
Guildford Branch are saddened at the sudden passing of
one of their dear Members Lee Starr who was a Member
of the group for 25 years. Lee will be sadly missed by family
and friends.
Gladesville, Hunters Hill and Ryde Member Harold
Parnaby was a valued member for 26 years and President
for 13 years. Ill health forced him to retire as President
in 2011 but from his sick bed Harold continued to find
speakers and supplied the local paper with CPSA news.
He will be missed by all.
~ Rest in Peace ~

Condition of CPSA Membership

Calling CPSA

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2009 (Schedule 1, clause 11(1)(a) and Appendix 1 based
on Clause 3(1)), it is a condition of your ongoing CPSA
membership that you agree to comply with CPSA’s
Constitution including Aims & Objectives.

CPSA office hours are
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If you reach the answering machine, please leave a clear
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the following only includes donations above $35 received
since the last edition of THE VOICE:
Anonymous $50

by Hilda Thorburn

THE VOICE OF PENSIONERS AND SUPERANNUANTS OF NSW

Members’ page
About CPSA

Send a letter to THE VOICE

CPSA is a non-profit, non-party-political membership
association founded in 1931 which serves pensioners
of all ages, superannuants and low-income retirees.

THE VOICE, CPSA
Level 9, 28 Foveaux St
Surry Hills NSW 2010

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Council Rate Rebate Petition Update

CPSA engages in systemic advocacy on behalf of its
constituency and also auspices four services which receive
Government funding: the Health Promotion Service for
Older People, the Older Persons Tenants’ Service, the Park
and Village Service and a Community Visitors Scheme.
CPSA acknowledges the potential for conflict of interest
arising for CPSA and the NSW and Australian Governments
as a result of this funding arrangement. CPSA is committed to
managing any conflict of interest issues in an ethical manner.

voice@cpsa.org.au

We have received hundreds of signatures from Members
as part of our Council Rate Rebate petition that appeared
in the last edition of THE VOICE.
Please keep them coming: the more signatures we have,
the louder our voice when we submit them to the NSW
Parliament. If you require more copies of the petition,
please call Head Office on 1800 451 488.
“So glad you are taking up the issue of the Council Rate
Rebate on our behalf. Rates sure are taking too much of
our pensions! Good luck.”
Carole and Hilton Krone, Robertson NSW

CPSA Members Awarded for their Service
Elizabeth Webb was awarded an Order of Australia
medal for volunteer service to her community. In
particular she was recognised for working tirelessly
on family and community history. Elizabeth (or Bessie
as she likes to be called) is 90 years of age and
continues to be very active in her community and
is Treasurer of Nana Glen and Glenreagh CPSA.
Shirley Anderson was named Gunnedah’s 2013
Citizen of the Year for her service to the community
and has been an active campaigner on country rail
services. Shirley joined CPSA in 1979 and has held
numerous roles on the Branch’s board, and is currently
the Senior Vice President of Gunnedah CPSA.
Has anyone in your Branch been honoured? Let
us know by calling Head Office on 1800 451 488.

Elizabeth Webb

Shirley Anderson

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Join today!
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March 2013

www.cpsa.org.au

1800 451 488

5

CPSA Member Benefit

6

March 2013

THE VOICE OF PENSIONERS AND SUPERANNUANTS OF NSW

CPSA Campaigns
Continued from page 1

This
is
surprising,
because people’s health
doesn’t generally improve
between the ages of 75 and
85.
You would think that a
medical test would be just
as effective or even more
effective at 85.
The medical test is
arbitrary and therefore
discriminatory.
It looks at a number of
medical conditions that
might make anyone at any
age an unsafe driver.
Anyone under 75 is
trusted to inform the
licensing authority if they
have such a condition, but
that trust is withdrawn for
people aged 75 and over.
The medical test could
be used for the one medical
condition that older drivers
can be expected to be in
denial about, or be unaware
of, namely dementia.
However,
a
formal
diagnosis of dementia
cannot be made by a GP. A
GP can only make a referral
to a geriatrician when s/he
suspects there is something
wrong.
Because
of
the
confronting and incurable
nature of dementia, GPs
postpone making such
referrals as long as possible
– for four years on average.
Any driver from age
85 who has passed their
medical test gets a virtual
gun called the ‘modified
licence’ put to their head.
They are given a choice
to either accept a modified
licence – which allows
them to, essentially, drive
to the shops and back –
without taking a road test,
or they can decide to take a
road test.
If they fail the on-road
test, there no longer is the
option of a to-the-shopsand-back licence.

March 2013

No wonder the take-up
of modified licences has
soared.
Older
drivers
are
effectively coerced into
modified licences.
The reduced crash rate
of these drivers is held
up as proof that modified
licences are effective and
necessary.
However, the reduced
crash rate is the natural
result of an age group being
forced off the road for most
of the time.
The crash rate among
drivers in any age
group would also drop
dramatically if they were
only allowed to drive to the
shops and back.
One in three older drivers
foolhardy enough to knock
back the modified licence
option fails the road test.
While the licensing
authority says it has
modified (there’s that word
again) the usual full road
test, implying that you
have to be at the very least
very doddery to fail it, its
examiners will still fail
a driver for going a little
over the speed limit or for
not coming to a complete
stop at a stop sign, things
most drivers do frequently.
It seems that the NSW
licensing authority has an
overwhelming desire to get
older people off the road.
The rest of the developed
world has abandoned older
driver testing because
it doesn’t work. And no
evidence that it works
stands up to scrutiny.
Older driver testing is an
illogical, discriminatory,
coercive,
ineffective,
punitive scheme designed
to kick older drivers off the
road.
It’s the older driver
testing, not the older
drivers, that needs to be
ditched.

Drop in deeming rates
long overdue
PART pensioners can
breathe a sigh of relief
because the deeming rates
have finally been lowered.
For far too long the
deeming rate has not been
keeping up with the falls
in interest rates, causing
pensioners with modest
savings in the bank to lose
out.
Deeming rates assume
that financial investments
are earning a certain rate
of interest, no matter what
interest they are actually
earning.
Since March 2010 there
have been six RBA interest
rate cuts but no cuts to the
deeming rate, until now.
From 20 March 2013
the current deeming rate
of 3 per cent for the first
$45,400 held by single
pensioners ($75,600 for
couples) will drop to 2.5
per cent, while the current
rate of 4.5 per cent p.a. for
any amount above these
figures will be reduced to 4
per cent.
The Government has
estimated that this will
result in an extra $6.80 in
the fortnightly pensions
for the average pensioner
affected by deeming rates.
In
NSW,
235,000
pensioners are affected
by deeming rates, with
740,500
pensioners
affected across Australia.
The pension ‘professor’
knocks again
IN THE lead-up to the
Budget,
there
have
been
reports
about
planned
changes
to
superannuation.
And, as always, there
have been complaints
about the uncertainty
created by superannuation
rule changes.
The reality is that

superannuation
remains
one of the best totally legal
tax lurks around, despite
all the changes and despite
all the uncertainty.
It is only fair that
superannuation rules are
regularly reviewed to make
sure it assists everyone it is
meant to assist.
After all, the benefits of
superannuation increase
with income and wealth.
Someone whose top
marginal tax rate is 45
per cent pays only 15
per cent tax over their
super contributions, while
someone on a 15 per cent
top marginal tax rate pays
exactly the same rate over
their super contributions.
A nice little saving for
the person on 45 per cent,
but nothing for the lowly
paid worker taxed at 15 per
cent.
Wheel out David Knox,
in Mercer’s Retirement,
Risk and Finance business,
to prove this is equitable.
Dr Knox’s argument
is that someone on a 45
per cent tax rate benefits
more, but when they reach
pension age, their pension
is much lower as a result.
Big saving to Government!
In the case of someone
who was on a 15 per
cent marginal tax rate
(poor person), that super
dollar coming their way
in retirement costs the
Federal Treasury 50 cents
in the pension.
But in the case of
someone who was on a 45
per cent marginal tax rate
(rich person), that same
dollar cost the Federal
Treasury 35 cents in
forfeited tax plus 50 cents
in the pension. That’s 85
cents.
Why would it be a
good deal for the Federal
Treasury to be paying
someone 35 cents more

www.cpsa.org.au

1800 451 488

7

CPSA Campaigns
than someone else for the
same thing?
And that’s without taking
into consideration that those
50 cents more are spent
on someone well-off, who
doesn’t need the assistance.
Dr Knox, the man who
pushed the increase in Age
Pension age to 67, thinks all
this is a marvel of equality
and parity between the rich
and the poor.
“To put it simply, the
rich are not getting a better
deal from the Government
when it comes to retirement
funding.
It’s
swings
and
roundabouts: what lowincome earners miss in tax
concessions, is made up for
in Age Pension payments,”
Dr Knox said.
Swings and roundabouts
alright, but they must be in
Dr Knox’s head.
Pensioners face bleak
standard of living
THE ASFA Retirement
Standard
figures
were
released last month and they
paint a bleak picture of life
on the Age, Disability and
Carer Pensions.
The Standard found that –
surprise, surprise – the costs
of living in retirement have
gone up.
Among the big ticket
increases are medical and
hospital services (up 9.4
per cent), pharmaceutical
products (up 5.4 per cent)
and dental services (up 3.4
per cent).
According to the Standard,
a couple looking for a
comfortable retirement now
needs an income of $56,339
per year, while a modest
retirement lifestyle requires
$32,555 a year.
For singles, a comfortable
lifestyle requires spending
$41,186 a year, while a
modest lifestyle requires
$22,585.
8

Pensions currently stand at
$20,087 per year for singles
and $30,284 for couples,
leaving them well below
the amount required for a
‘modest retirement lifestyle’,
which is defined by ASFA
as only being able to afford
basic activities.
This just highlights, yet
again, that Pensions are
insufficient in allowing
pensioners to pay for
essentials.
What is most worrying is
that the ASFA figures factor
in people owning their own
home, which is increasingly
not the case, particularly for
those on a Pension.
The Pension also has built
into it the assumption that
pensioners are likely to be
homeowners, meaning that
pensioners who are renting
(or paying off a mortgage)
are losing out even more.
This is why CPSA
continues
to
campaign
for an independent body
to determine pension and
allowance rates, to ensure
that recipients are able
to maintain an adequate
standard of living.
TheAustralian Government
must do something about
housing affordability and
security if we are going to
see an improvement in the
standard of living for those
on a Pension.
Will I be made to move
house if Housing NSW asks
me to?
IN THE middle of last year,
NSW Minister for Family
and Community Services Pru
Goward announced that single
or couple public housing
tenants living in homes that
could accommodate more
people will be ‘requested’ to
move to a smaller property.
There are single people
and couples living in multibedroom public housing
dwellings, often because

March 2013

their children have grown up
and left home.
While CPSA and many
tenants
understand
the
reasoning behind this policy
- there are far more people
needing public housing than
there are dwellings – it could
cause significant hardship for
some people.
It is unclear how much
power Housing NSW has
to force people to move to
another property.
At this stage, the Minister
has informed CPSA that
people will ‘be requested’ to
move, rather than ‘forced’.
CPSA has contacted the
Minister’s office seeking
clarification on how much
say tenants will have.
CPSA wrote to the Minister
outlining
its
concerns,
particularly about moving
people to another area and
therefore away from health
and community services used
by the tenant.
The Minister responded,
saying that the Government
appreciates CPSA’s concerns
and that CPSA may be
“assured
that
Housing
NSW staff will follow the
principles of natural justice
and
behave
reasonably
when
approaching
and
working with tenants around
relocations”.
Ms Goward also included
a hand written note at the
end of the letter that says,
“I am very conscious of the
importance of sensitivity.”
CPSA urges anyone who
has been approached by
Housing NSW and requested
to move to contact CPSA on
1800 451 488 if they have
concerns.

their first instalment of the
Clean Energy Supplement.
This is to be a regular
fortnightly supplement in
addition to the Pension
increase, paid to assist
pensioners with the rise in
living costs under the carbon
tax.
Single pensioners will
receive
approximately
$338 per
year,
while
pensioner
couples
will
receive about $510.
Readers will remember the
advance lump sum payment
of $250 for singles and
$190 for each member of
a couple paid in May-June
last year. This is the ongoing
payment.
Pensioners living in public
housing, however, are in for a
rude shock when they receive
their Pension increase and
their first instalment of the
Clean Energy Supplement.
For the first time, not only
will a percentage of their
Pension increase be taken
in the form of rent but also
a percentage of this new
supplement as well.
Until
now
Pension
Supplements have always
been quarantined from public
and community housing rent
calculations.
This is because they do
not represent additional real
income but are paid to offset
specific costs, in this case the
carbon tax.
CPSA is very concerned
that this may just represent
the thin edge of the wedge
with the Pension Supplement
potentially under threat.
NSW and Queensland
State Governments will take
some of the Clean Energy
Supplement from public
Carbon tax compo coming housing residents. Victoria is
but little relief if you’re in yet to make their decision on
public housing
the issue.
FROM 20 March 2013 The rest of the states and
pensioners will not only territories are sticking to
receive their six monthly tradition and not touching the
pension increase but also new Supplement.

THE VOICE OF PENSIONERS AND SUPERANNUANTS OF NSW

CPSA Campaigns
Those living in public
housing
are
already
struggling to absorb price
rises.
They need the Clean
Energy Supplement to
keep up with the rising cost
of living.
Sixty-seven per cent
of residents in public
housing have some form
of disability or long-term
health problem and are
much more likely to be
living below the poverty
line.
CPSA is very concerned
about
whether
this
foreshadows the future
inclusion of the Pension
Supplement
in
rent
calculations.
We have campaign
postcards to send to your
local NSW Member of
Parliament calling for the
Clean Energy Supplement
(and other supplements
and rebates) to be exempt
from rent calculations.
If you wish to receive

some postcards to help us
in this campaign, please
call CPSA Head Office on
1800 451 488.
Centrelink’s Centrepay
making life easy for
scammers
IT HAS been revealed
that certain businesses are
exploiting the Centrelink
Centrepay system and
ripping off people on
income
support,
so
Centrepay is undergoing a
review.
Centrepay is a free
voluntary
bill-paying
service for Centrelink
customers, which allows
people to pay bills and
other recurring payments
directly from their account.
Half a million income
support recipients currently
use Centrepay, and many
find it a great way to help
them budget.
But there have been a
few rogue players taking
advantage of Centrepay,

Random photo of the month:
Window washers at a children’s hospital

March 2013

www.cpsa.org.au

exploiting people who
don’t
understand
the
contracts they’re signing.
The main culprits are
rental companies from
which people can rent
whitegoods and appliances.
Zaam
Rentals
was
doorknocking
income
support recipients and
getting them to sign
contracts to rent various
household goods for up to
two years without taking
proper care that they had
understood the contract’s
terms.
Zaam would then set up
the Centrepay deductions
from the client’s Centrelink
payments, and often the
client wouldn’t realise how
much was being deducted
from their account.
Its credit licence has
since been cancelled by the
Australian Securities and
Investment Commission
(ASIC) and its directors
have been banned from
providing credit for 4 to 6
years.
One client rented a $500
computer for $80 per
fortnight over two years.
They ended up paying
over $4,000 for the laptop:
more than eight times the
computer’s value.
“In deliberately targeting
vulnerable people who
had limited understanding
of the contracts they were
signing, and little capacity
to
meet
repayments,
Zaam Rentals and its
directors
have
acted
unconscionably,”
ASIC
Commissioner Peter Kell
said.
The question to
Centrelink, however, is
why was such conduct
allowed to occur under the
Centrepay system in the
first place, considering that
a condition of companies
being offering Centrepay is
that they act conscionably
1800 451 488

and follow a duty of care?
Businesses
offering
Centrepay must first be
approved by Centrelink.
Latest figures show that
around 13,000 businesses
offer Centrepay.
There is no publiclyavailable information on
complaints or the like
made to Centrelink about
businesses exploiting the
Centrepay system.
That’s partly why a
review of the system has
been arranged.
Submissions have closed
for the review, but its
recommendations will be
followed up on in THE
VOICE.
Railcorp split laying the
tracks for privatisation?
RAILCORP, the operator
of NSW trains, will no
longer exist from July.
From the middle of the
year it will be split into
Sydney Trains (the CBD
and suburban network)
and NSW Trains (services
between regions as well as
CountryLink).
While the Minister
for Transport, Gladys
Berejiklian, has denied that
this is a first step towards
privatisation, this split
would make it easier for
the trains to be privatised
in the future.
The person responsible
for running the London
Tube, no mean feat
particularly during the
Olympics last year, will
head the Sydney arm.
He has been quoted as
saying that Sydney’s trains
are decades behind in terms
of ticketing, technology
and the environment,
something he wants to see
improved.
He also warned his
new employer, the NSW
Government, that failure to

9

CPSA Campaigns
invest in new infrastructure
would be a mistake.
That’s all well and good
but as things currently
stand, the only way this
could be done is through
privatisation.
CPSA continues to call
for a commitment from
the NSW Government that
trains and buses remain
in public hands AND for
substantial investment to
ensure that they actually
meet all people’s transport
needs, and not just the needs
of peak hour commuters.
Hospital funding cuts
A CAMPAIGN has been
launched to save Sydney’s
Prince of Wales Hospital’s
hydrotherapy pool from
being privatised, after
NSW Health cut the
hospital’s funding by $35
million.
If the pool is privatised,
the cost of individual visits
could rise from $6 to $78.
The pool is used by
people with a range of
health conditions and
disabilities.
Obviously if session
prices rose to $78, only the
very well-off would be able
to afford to use the pool.
There are also fears that
the hospital will have to
close a number of clinics
and wards, as part of the
funding cuts, including
outpatient clinics and
dermatology services.
These cuts form part of
the NSW Government’s
$2.2 billion ‘efficiency
drive’ (read ‘cuts’) to
health services state wide,
over four years.
The NSW Government
has stated that these
cuts will be used to fund
frontline services.
It’s unclear how these
cuts will be achieved or
what frontline services will

be funded.
There is currently a
petition to save the Prince
of Wales hydrotherapy
pool from privatisation.
For copies of the petition,
contact the Health Services
Union NSW on 1300 478
679.
If your local hospital is
making cuts to services,
CPSA wants to know about
it.
Contact CPSA Head
Office on 1800 451 488 or
email cpsa@cpsa.org.au.
Reform of
benzodiazepines in
nursing homes
A GOOD, albeit small,
reform is on the cards for
nursing home residents.
The Therapeutic Goods
Administration
(TGA)
has proposed to change
benzodiazepines
from
being Schedule 4 drugs
(Prescription Only Drug)
to Schedule 8 drugs
(Controlled Drugs).
Benzodiazepines
are
prescribed mainly for
anxiety
and
sleeping
problems.
The most common ones
are Valium,
Serepax,
Normison,
Mogadon,
Temazepam,
Rohypnol
and Xanax.
What does this mean?
It simply means that
the drugs will have
to be administered by
two
qualified
health
professionals rather than
one or by the patient
themselves.
Aged and Community
Services
Australia,
a
lobby group representing
charitable and religious
aged
care
providers,
has warned against this
change, saying that homes
will need to employ more
staff, especially at night,
and would have to stop

allowing self-administration
of the drug by residents.
It seems this change
will cause some grief for
the
Human
Resources
departments of nursing
homes.
Benzodiazepines are a
tranquiliser, and can be
deadly because they can
depress breathing.
Other side effects include
memory loss, personality
changes, slurred speech, and
coma.
They are particularly risky
for older people and have
been found to increase the
risk of falls.
In
other
words,
benzodiazepines are no
regular medication anyone
can get in a supermarket.
They are serious drugs that
could have very serious sideeffects.
It
therefore
seems
reasonable to ensure they’re
controlled and administered
correctly.
How any nursing home
could
think
that
it’s
appropriate for people to selfadminister them is beyond
belief, especially nursing
home residents whose health
may impede their decisionmaking skills.
An aged care success story
LAST YEAR, CPSA was
contacted by Amanda (not
her real name) whose parents
were in a nursing home and
suffering from poor care.
One parent had developed
gangrene and had a limb
amputated because of poor
wound management.
The other parent had been
mistreated by a staff member
in the facility.
Amanda called CPSA to
get some advice as to what
she should do to get better
care, not just for her parents,
but for the other residents in
the facility.
CPSA advised her of her

parents’ rights under the
Aged Care Act and walked
her through the complaints
process.
It took a while, but several
months after the poor
care incidents occurred,
Amanda’s efforts led to the
engagement of a full-time
clinical nurse at the facility
who reportedly responds to
any concerns of residents or
their families.
Her parents’ health has
improved and their dentures
are now cleaned three times
per day, rather than never as
was the case before.
All of what Amanda has
achieved is enshrined in the
Aged Care Act.
In other words, it should
have already been happening
without a word being said.
All that Amanda did was
ensure that the provider did
what they’re funded and
accredited to do.
Many aged care residents
don’t have sons or daughters,
or anyone for that matter,
who go into the home to bat
for them.
Sure, the Accreditation
Agency and Government are
supposed to oversee aged
care provision, but they’re
not doing a great job.
If they did, Amanda would
never have had to contact
CPSA to begin with.

Got a complaint
about aged
care?
We can help you
navigate the complaints
process.
Call Senior Policy Advisor
Charmaine Crowe at
Head Office
on 1800 451 488 or email
agedcare@cpsa.org.au

Your questions answered
In which battle did Napoleon die?
His last one.
Where was the Declaration of Independence signed?
At the bottom of the page.
The River Zambezi flows in which state?
Liquid.
What is the main reason for divorce?
Marriage.
What can you never eat for breakfast?
Lunch and dinner.
What looks like half an apple?
The other half.
If you throw a red stone into the blue sea what will it
become?
Wet.

Crossword Solutions
Crossword on page 4

How can a man go eight days without sleeping?
No problem, he sleeps at night.
How can you lift an elephant with one hand?
You will never find an elephant that has only one hand.
If you had three apples and four oranges in one hand
and four apples and three oranges in other hand, what
would you have?
Very large hands.
If it took eight men ten hours to build a wall, how long
would it take four men to build it?
No time at all. The wall is already built.
How can you drop a raw egg onto a concrete floor
without cracking it?
Any way you want. Concrete floors are very hard to crack.